Can probiotics heal cancer?

What are probiotics?

So what are probiotics?

Probiotics are basically live bacteria and yeast that live in your digestive system and help to make your gut healthy.

How do probiotics affect cancer?

Research has shown that cancerous tissues have a lower density of microbes and less variety, and that taking probiotics can actually increase the amount of microbes and the diversity of those organisms in cancerous tissues.

Research has also shown that probiotics can help with a number of cancers including colo-rectal cancers, liver cancer, bladder cancer, and even breast cancer.

And in the case of colorectal cancers, taking probiotics has been shown to improve the symptoms of irritable bowel, including diarrhoea, to decrease fatigue from treatment, and to increase the quality of life.

Studies in mice showed that a healthy gut actually helped cells to recover faster and the mice coped better with conventional treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

There is some research that shows in a small number of cases, probiotics can increase the risk of infection with people with a weakened immune system and after surgery.

How do probiotics work?

So probiotics have their effect in a number of different ways.

They can out-compete the existing bacteria in your gut, they can bind to carcinogens, they can reduce DNA damage, they can increase the enzyme activities of the microbes in your gut and they can also increase the effectiveness of antioxidants and reduce inflammation.

Where do you get probiotics from?

So there are two main sources of probiotics: food and supplements.

Probiotics from supplements

If you go with supplements there’s generally organisms like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, Saccharomyces and also soil based organisms.

On the plus side supplements are generally stronger, they’re better at recolonising your gut, and they tend to have specific strains included.

On the downside they can be more expensive, the results can be inconsistent and the quality can be a bit variable.

So if you’re going to go with a supplement:

Make sure you choose a higher-quality independently-tested brand.

Check that it has a high number of colony forming units or CFUs, at least 5 to 10 billion, maybe even 20 billion.

Choose one with strains that suit your condition or at least a wide range of strains, 7+ or more different types of microbes.

Make sure you store them correctly.

Take them consistently for best results.

And keep trying different brands until you find one that works for you.

Probiotics from food

If you’re going to use food to get probiotics there are a huge range of foods that you can choose from:

Yogurt is the best known one but there are lots of other foods including…

Drinks like kefir, kombucha and kvass

Fermented cabbage like sauerkraut and kimchi

Also things like tempeh, miso and natto

And also some aged cheeses may include probiotics

So check the labels for live active cultures.

Feed your probiotics with prebiotics

And that’s the thing to remember – these organisms are living creatures so take care of them, store them correctly and feed them with prebiotics.

So prebiotics are basically indigestible carbohydrates that are food for the microbes in your gut.

And by taking prebiotics you are encouraging them to thrive and making the most of whatever you’re taking.

The best place to get prebiotics is from your food.

And the best food sources of prebiotics are things like:

less-ripe bananas,

raw garlic and onion,

chicory root,

dandelion greens,

raw asparagus and

other things that have lots of fiber (e.g. beans, flax seeds, oats)

So do probiotics help heal cancer?

So in short, yes, probiotics can help to both prevent and heal cancer by creating a healthy gut.

Time to take action

Here’s your next steps:

Check your current diet. How much probiotics are you getting from the foods or the supplements that you’re taking?

Decide if you want to increase your probiotic intake and run it past your healthcare professional to make sure they don’t have any strenuous, well-founded objections to you taking more probiotics, and

Choose a source of probiotics whether that’s supplements or food or both and keep trying until you find one that really makes a difference for you.

Disclaimer: This website is for educational purposes only, and is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement rather than replace regular care by your doctor or health care professional. Please consult your medical, health, or other professional before embarking on any health-care program or treatment. If you believe that you have a serious medical condition, please seek the advice of a fully qualified health-care professional. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this website at the time of publication, and the information may be updated at any time as new information becomes available. If you choose to make use of the information on this website, you assume full responsibility for any decisions, actions and outcomes that may result. The statements on this website regarding the use of natural approaches for healing cancer have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, or any other local or international regulatory authority. Results may vary from person to person.

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